LAS VEGAS — Throughout UFC 196's undercard there were a bunch of fights that brought the crowd to its feet at the MGM Grand. It was great.

But let’s be honest here: Saturday night was all about the final two bouts.

With a classic women’s bantamweight showdown, and a shocking finale that saw the UFC’s poster boy fall, UFC 196 was a disruptive fight card for the organization.

A look at what we learned:

1) NO ONE IS IMMORTAL

The UFC’s marketing machine pumped up Conor McGregor, just like it did Ronda Rousey.

The Irishman had an air of invincibility to him, and Dana White & Co. capitalized on that by highlighting not only his infectious personality, but also his unorthodox — some might say ludicrous — training methods.

In the months following her win over Rousey, Holly Holm was treated in much the same way. Her punching power was front and centre in the UFC’s promo materials as it was expected she would be owning the belt for some time.

Now, both stars have seen their shine wear off.

It’s possible that we’re in an era of increased parity in MMA, but it’s also a reminder that we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves every time the UFC shows off its latest shiny new toy. Even the superstars are human and, like anyone, fall when hit hard enough.

It should also force us to take a moment to appreciate the truly dominant figures in the sport, because Jon Jones and Demetrious Johnson really are special talent inside the octagon.

2) STYLES REALLY DO MAKE FIGHTS

It’s a cliche as old as the UFC itself, but part of what makes MMA so fascinating is the fact that a fighter like Holm can look unbeatable against a champion like Rousey but her skill set just doesn’t translate into the same sort of dominance against a scrapper like Miesha Tate.

Prior to the fight, Holm boasted that she wasn’t just a striker. But when a desperate Tate took the fight to the ground in the final moments, the champion’s ground game failed her. Tate secured the rear-naked choke and it was game over.

Given that Tate has lost to Rousey twice, there’s a good chance the former champion gets her belt back if they fight for the title in the future. If the UFC followed that up with a rematch between Rousey and Holm, there’s a good chance Holm gets the belt back. It's a vicious cycle.

Styles make fights, and right now it appears that the contrasting styles of Tate, Rousey and Holm could mean the women’s bantamweight title isn’t staying in one place for long.

3) SIZE DOES MATTER

McGregor should be applauded for going up two weight classes and fighting Diaz at 170 pounds. That’s borderline unprecedented.

Yet it proved to be too much for the featherweight champion, who admitted he’d been surprised by the way Diaz could take a punch.

The Irishman kept things classy in the aftermath of his loss, but said that if he fights at welterweight again he’ll have to learn to conserve his energy better. Bigger opponents simply won’t crumble when he cracks them with a hard punch.

For now, McGregor said he plans on heading back to featherweight to defend his belt. Given the way he’s dominated that weight class, we could still be in for a sustained run of dominance from the guy. He just might not make history by becoming a three-weight class champion.

4) GOOD FOR THE GAME

There were many people who questioned why McGregor-Diaz was the headlining fight when Holm-Tate had a championship on the line.

Well, those people got their answer on Saturday.

The main event brought a ton of eyeballs to the UFC 196 card, and the women took advantage of their moment in the spotlight by putting in performances that will help grow women’s MMA.

Rousey helped get people interested in women’s fighting, but her sustained dominance created this sense that people were tuning in to see only her.

With Holm and Tate producing a classic, there surely will be many new fans who realize there’s more to the women’s game than Rousey. And they might just go check out some of the other talented athletes who make up the women’s bantamweight ranks.

5) WANTED: CREATIVITY, PLEASE

The UFC desperately wants to break records with its UFC 200 show. That means the organization needs to put together an absolute blockbuster card.

More importantly, though, it needs a couple of massive headliners.

Months ago, it was assumed that a double-billing that featured McGregor and Rousey would be more than enough to do the trick. Since, the poster children have lost, and there’s no one else on the roster with the necessary star power to anchor the record-breaking fight card the UFC wants.

McGregor surely will be booked, with a featherweight title defence against either Jose Aldo or Frankie Edgar in the offing. Maybe Rousey returns, but it’s hard to envision who else they could slot into the co-main event space.

CM Punk probably will make his debut, but the big question is, is there any way Georges St. Pierre returns for a fight against Anderson Silva?

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UFC 196 aftermath: 5 things we learned

LAS VEGAS — Throughout UFC 196's undercard there were a bunch of fights that brought the crowd to its feet at the MGM Grand. It was great.

But let’s be honest here: Saturday night was all about the final two bouts.

With a classic women’s bantamweight showdown, and a shocking finale that saw the UFC’s poster boy fall, UFC 196 was a disruptive fight card for the organization.

A look at what we learned:

1) NO ONE IS IMMORTAL

The UFC’s marketing machine pumped up Conor McGregor, just like it did Ronda Rousey.

The Irishman had an air of invincibility to him, and Dana White & Co. capitalized on that by highlighting not only his infectious personality, but also his unorthodox — some might say ludicrous — training methods.

In the months following her win over Rousey, Holly Holm was treated in much the same way.